Ari Aster and ‘Midsommar’ cast sound off on hypnotic horror’s most chilling scenes

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers about the new film “Midsommar."

Night may be darkest before dawn, but in Ari Aster’s Swedish countryside, never-ending light is far more terrifying.

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From a fatal brush with carbon monoxide before the opening credits to human sacrifices and a tradition that rivals Ed Gein’s infamous proclivities, the perpetually graphic “Midsommar” is not for the faint of heart.

Aster’s sophomore feature, following last year’s nightmarish “Hereditary,” follows a group of American 20-somethings on a transatlantic trek to study European Midsummer traditions. Burdened by the grieving Dani (Florence Pugh), everything kicks off at their friend’s Swedish commune, Hårga, during an outwardly charming festival.

Among the most gruesome scenes is the Ättestupa, which sees two village elders throwing themselves off cliffs.

Though the Hårga appear unfazed by the contorted limbs and bashed in skull, the visitors’ responses range from “a trance” to “pure shock,” Poulter, who plays comedic relief Mark, told The News, referring to a panicked British couple who are "not remotely indoctrinated into this, you know, cult yet ... They’re totally on the outside of it looking in.”

Isabelle Grill (center) is seen in "Midsommar." (Photo by Csaba Aknay, Courtesy of A24)

When it comes to shock value though, human sacrifices might only be topped by a group mating ritual. In the scene, a fully nude Reynor, who plays Dani’s emotional lifeline and detached boyfriend Christian, sleeps with one of the commune’s members as a group of equally naked Hårga women moan in bizarre unity.

“I think everybody was a little bit concerned about it at first, just for censorship," Reynor explained to The News. “It’s difficult, by the way. It was tough to shoot. It felt weird. It felt uncomfortable. It feels a bit painful.”

Both he and Aster agreed though that it “was very necessary,” as Aster told The News. “It did not feel right to only have naked women in that scene. Jack needed to be exposed.”

“You don’t really see that happening an awful lot in cinema,” Reynor said of on-screen male nudity. “Certainly not in mainstream cinema. And so part of the reason that I signed on to do this film is to kind of flip that on its head [a] little bit."

Defying an outdated horror trope, Aster does not kill off Josh (William Jackson Harper) — the only black character for miles — first. As Aster points out, though, the Hårga are racist, a callback to “a part of Swedish history and European history,” and all of the “outsiders” or “new blood” recruited for mating are purposely white.

“That was somebody dressed in Mark’s skin,” Aster confirmed nonchalantly. “You’ll notice he’s wearing his skin as pants as well. That’s something that the Vikings did: They were called necropants. when you removed your enemy’s skin and wore his legs as pants.”

The film is bookended by death, but despite the scorching brutality of the finale’s body count, Aster insists there’s a levity to the scene.

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“If you can retain any objectivity, it is kind of funny in like the particular brand of catharsis it’s playing with," he says. “I think that there’s some humor in ... just how wildly over the top the film allows itself to be. And, you know, naturally when you go to that extreme, it’s going to either be a turnoff for people or you’re just going to be able to give yourself to it and enjoy the ride.”